If you hear someone talk about Chekhov, they’ll probably talk about him and his works in one of two ways: “Ugh, Chekhov. I’d rather watch paint dry.” or “Oh my god, yes. Chekhov for life.” (And I guarantee that the second type of reaction was once the first.) It is possible to come to love Chekhov if you don’t already.

It’s undeniable: many things we don’t have much experience in…we also don’t understand. Don’t like Chekhov? Have you read his stuff? Do you understand it? If you do and you’ve gained an informed and educated opinion, go on hating Chekhov! If you’re not familiar at all with his works — but you hear he’s “boring” — read on and try his plays out before you hop on the Chekhov Hater Train — the CHT I like to call it. (For the record, I bought a First Class ticket on the CHT in high school, but I learned a little bit more about Chekhov and disembarked that locomotive.)

Who is this guy? This Anton Chekhov? Why’s he so great?

Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of short fiction in history. He is referred to as one of the founding members of early modernism in theatre, and though Chekhov practiced as a medical doctor throughout most of his literary career, he considered literature his “mistress”.

Chekhov worked intensely with Konstantin Stanislavski during the revival of Chekhov’s The Seagull in 1896 at the Moscow Art Theatre. (Stanislavski would go on to produce Chekhov’s other three main plays: Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard.) Chekhov made it a mission in his writing to have audiences and readers ask questions and propose solutions rather than depending on the author to do that work for them. Chekhov says, “…you confuse two things: solving a problem and stating a problem correctly. It is only the second that is obligatory for the artist.”

You’ll find that Chekhov’s works seem boring because, at face value, they’re just plays about unhappy people in unhappy situations doing their best to be happy  —  but failing. When you dig a little deeper, though, you’ll find that Chekhov worked very diligently to create a “theatre of mood” and submerge the audience into the atmosphere created by the text. Chekhov invites audiences to feel exactly what his characters are feeling. If that’s not immersive theatre, I don’t know what is.

“Chekhov’s gun”

If you take a playwriting or directing class, you’ll often hear “Chekhov’s gun” mentioned. This is a dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and any irrelevent references or items must be removed. Elements of the play should never appear to falsely foreshadow events. Example, if a gun is hanging on the wall above the fireplace but is never fired during the course of the play, this would be an example of a poor use of Chekhov’s gun. If a gun is hanging above the fireplace and is taken down and fired in the second act, this would be an example of an effective use of Chekhov’s gun.

The Seagull (1895)

Among the people gathered at the Sorin Estate, only two are sure of themselves  —  Madame Trepleff (the conceited, middle-aged actress) and her lover, Trigorin (the popular, pleasure-seeking writer). Konstantine, Madame Trepleff’s son, wants to be a writer and marry Nina, the young daughter of a nearby landowner. Konstantine is constantly frustrated, and his writings are naive, vague, and filled with terribly written metaphors and similes. Nina, also an aspiring actress, is unimpressed by Konstantine, and is instead enamored of Trigorin. Nina runs off as Trigorin’s new mistress, leaving Madame Trepleff alone. Confronted by his mother’s willful ignorance of his heartbreak and his failure as a writer, Konstantine commits suicide.

Get the play here.

Uncle Vanya (1898)

Ever since the arrival of old Professor Serebriakoff and his young wife Yelena, everything has been a little chaotic. Uncle Vanya, the brother of the professor’s first wife, has lost his desire to manage the estate and is annoyed by the retired professor’s egotistical and nagging ways (and is also finding it difficult to manage his own romantic feelings for Yelena). Sonia, the professor’s daughter from his first marriage, is trying her best to manage the estate, but her failing strength doesn’t make it easy. On top of that, she’s in love with an emotionally unavailable town doctor name Astroff. Serebriakoff, Vanya, Yelena, Sonia, and Astroff lead useless, dull, disorderly lives while sucking the energies from other people to emotionally survive. When the professor and Yelena finally leave after Astroff attempts to seduce Yelena, things return to normal, and work can again begin on the farm. Performer Stuff does a special Theatre in Film feature on a rehearsal process of Uncle Vanya that took 5 years and was finally performed (as a rehearsal) to an audience in an abandoned theatre. Check out “Theatre in Film: Vanya on 42nd Street“.

Get the play here.

Three Sisters (1900)

A year after the death of their father who commanded the local army post, Olga (eldest), Masha (middle), and Irina (youngest) Prozoroff find their lives purposeless and lonely. Each sister tries to replace the happiness they once felt with something else. Olga begins teaching, though she dreams of being home with her family. Unhappy in her marriage to a pedantic schoolmaster, Masha finds romance with a married colonel. Irina seeks to find purpose through the “dignity of work” at the local telegraph office. As the play progresses, all three realize their efforts are completely futile. When their brother Andre marries a strange woman, their woes increase. The woman encroaches on the family home and estate, becoming controlling and bitter.The sisters dream of starting a new life in Moscow, but are too burdened by logistical complications to make the move. When the army post is withdrawn from their town, they resolve to move forward and seek again some sense of purpose together.

Get the play here.

The Cherry Orchard (1903)

The Ranevskayas are desperately attempting to maintain their aristocratic values in an increasingly middle-class world. The family’s finances are so precarious that part of the estate, a large cherry orchard, must be sold to maintain the remainder of the estate. Even though everyone realizes the dire financial situation they’re in, no one can bear to sell the orchard  —  it represents a personal symbol of happiness to each member of the family. The family struggles heroically to face the changing world outside their estate, but retreat inward when confronted with any sort of challenge to their personal identity. Inevitably, the entire estate is sold, and the family moves on to (it’s assumed) lead the lives they left behind  —  stumbling through life in ignorance, resistant to change.

Get the play here.

Wanna know a little more about the Russian playwrights? Check out our feature on 7 Classic Russian Playwrights You Should Know!

Interested in theatre history? Check out our other features below!

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• 10 Contemporary LGBT Playwrights You Should Know
• 10 Contemporary Native American Playwrights You Should Know
• 10 Contemporary Playwrights of Color You Should Know
• 10 Asian American Playwrights You Should Know
• 10 Latinx, Hispanic, and Chicano/a Playwrights You Should Know
• 10 Eighteenth-Century Female Playwrights You Should Know
• 10 Nineteenth-Century Female Playwrights You Should Know
• 10 Classic Russian Playwrights You Should Know
• 12 Elizabethan and Jacobean Playwrights You Should Know
• 7 Greek and Roman Playwrights You Should Know
• 13 Classic American Playwrights You Should Know
• Early 20th Century Broadway Composers and Lyricists You Should Know